News

Franchitti Back in Fastenal Dodge

May 29, 2008

Franchitti is Back: After taking the last few weeks off from racing to allow time for his ankle to heal, Dario Franchitti will climb back behind the wheel of the No. 40 Fastenal Dodge Saturday, May 31, to compete in the 14th NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race of the 2008 season. Franchitti has been on the mend since he fractured his left ankle in the NNS race at Talladega Superspeedway in late April. He participated in the NSCS test session at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway earlier this week, but this Saturday will mark his first official racing effort since Talladega. Welcome back, Dario!

At a Glance: In eight starts in the Nationwide Series this season, Franchitti has an average qualifying effort of 14.5. His best starting spot to date is fourth which he initially scored at Daytona in February and then tied at Talladega in late April, which was his most recent start in an NNS car. His average finishing position is 20th, with a best to date being sixth at Las Vegas.

Clauson Pilots No. 81 Dodge at Dover: Franchitti's fellow Fastenal Racing teammate Bryan Clauson will race the No. 81 Pat MacDonald Dodge this weekend at Dover to get some extra seat time. Clauson is a member of the Fastenal Racing Team, but will drive the No. 81 Vector Security Dodge this weekend at Dover. Matt Chambers, a fellow CGRFS team member, will serve as his crew chief while he also supported by a CGRFS pit crew.

CGRFS NNS Rookie Class Update: Franchitti currently holds a six-point lead (89-83) over Clauson in the NNS Raybestos® Rookie standings. Although he has had to sit out the last three NNS races due to a fractured ankle, Franchitti has managed to hold on to his lead in the NNS rookie standings. In fact, he has led for the past 11 consecutive races. Franchitti has grabbed rookie of the race honors five times in eight starts this season, including California, Las Vegas, Bristol, Texas, and Phoenix. Clauson has grabbed Raybestos® Rookie of the Race honors twice in eight starts this season, first at Daytona and then just earlier this month at Richmond.

Standings Update: The No. 40 Fastenal Team is now 19th in the overall NNS owner standings. With a current tally of 1,391 points, the team is 181 points away from the top 10 and 646 points outside of first.

Check out the Parrott Perspective: Franchitti's NNS Crew Chief Brad Parrott is keeping fans up to date on what is going on in the world of the Fastenal Racing Team through an on-line blog he is keeping throughout the 2008 NNS season. Check out the Parrott Perspective at www.fastenalracing.com.